Colorado State coach Jim McElwain will be hearing questions from a new Post beat writer this season (Denver Post file photo, Karl Gehring)

Consider this an open letter to the Colorado State University constituency.

I’ve written a lot on CSU football and indeed many other Rams’ athletic programs, both men’s and women’s, during my two stints in various roles at The Denver Post. During my hiatus, I even did a major piece on Sonny Lubick’s revival of the program when I was with The Sporting News.

Also, in books and in the paper, I’ve written about CSU’s World War II heroes, including Bus Bergman, Dude Dent, John Mosley of the Tuskegee Airmen, and Perry Blach. Former CSU student body president and football star Glenn Morris, who won the 1936 Olympic decathlon in Berlin and was perhaps the second-most celebrated athlete in the U.S. in the wake of the Games, is one of the title figures in my fact-based novel, Olympic Affair: Hitler’s Siren and America’s Hero.

So this isn’t a cold introduction.

I didn’t need a GPS to get to Fort Collins and I already knew where to stop for a cinnamon roll, either way.

This is a first, though: In the reconfigured sports department this fall, I will be the lead beat writer for CSU football and CSU sports, rather than what I was in the past — a generalist dropping in when needed to help out the beat writer, and also when the mood strikes me to write a feature or a column.

As a University of Colorado alumnus (but not a Trustafarian), I’m on the whole supportive of the CU board of regents’ greenlighting of the $143 million in upgrades to athletic facilities in Boulder.

Short of a SALT treaty, that’s the minimal amount of investment necessary moving forward for CU in the real world of Pac 12 sports.

But I’m uneasy, too.

Somewhere Mike Bohn is laughing. He was fired as athletic director in late May, primarily because president Bruce Benson — who has done an absolutely amazing job of essentially privatizing a public university and finding revenue streams in the wake of vanishing state support — was unhappy with the progress of athletic department fund-raising.

And now, four-plus months later, CU has green-lighted that project, despite still having raised “only” $10 million as seed money. The seed-money goal for the $143 million project was $50 million by December.

I get it: George, who reported for duty in mid-August, deserves time to build up fund-raising traction.

But any attempt to portray him as having pulled off a miracle turnaround and justifying Bohn’s firing that way is absurd.

Head coach Mike Riley of the Oregon State Beavers talks with Brandin Cooks during the second half of a game against the Washington State Cougars at Martin Stadium on Oct. 12 in Pullman, Wash. (Photo by William Mancebo, Getty Images)

LAS VEGAS – Don’t count Air Force coach Troy Calhoun a fan of the Mountain West’s new conference structure or the format of the coming college football playoff system.

He’s not.

First up: The Mountain West’s new two-division format, in its first year now that the conference has grown to 12 teams.

“It’s set up that way,” Calhoun said. “It’s been dictated, that’s the way it’s going to be done. You get to play football, that part you do get to do. You get the chance to play some football.

“I think there’s something to it when you play everybody. I really do. I think you build more cohesion amongst your league and I think you build stronger rivalries in a respectful way when you play everybody every year.”

According to a report from the Lafayette, Ind., Journal & Courier newspaper, Colorado’s top target to fill its football head-coaching vacancy, Cincinnati’s Butch Jones, is toured the Purdue campus Sunday.

Jones, 23-14 in three seasons at Cincinnati and 50-27 for his coaching career, is thought to be No. 1 on Purdue’s list.

The Journal & Courier reported that Jones flew into Lafayette, Ind., on a Purdue plane, along with Purdue athletic director Morgan Burke. Jones’ wife, Barbara, accompanied her husband, and Burke’s wife Kate also was on the plane.

According to reports of flight schedules, Jones spent about four hours at Purdue — arriving at 11:45 a.m. local time in Lafayette and departing just after 3:30 p.m. for a flight back to an airport in Middletow, Ohio, near Cincinnati.

Pueblo’s big football weekend is worth a toast over the Southern Colorado city’s best-known cuisine — a Slopper, which for the unitiated is the local version of a Mexican hamburger.

CSU-Pueblo, the fifth-year Division II program, gets another crack in the national playoffs Saturday, playing host in the round of 16 to the University of Indianapolis at noon at the Neta and Eddie DeRose ThunderBowl adjacent to the campus on the north side of town. Indianapolis, with an enrollment of about 5,600, is a Methodist school and was known as Indiana Central until 1986.

A win Saturday over the Greyhounds “would mean a lot,” said CSU-Pueblo coach John Wristen. “One of the reasons we want to bring (football) back was to tie this community together. I hate to say it, but this great game of football can do that. It’s brought people out, competing at tailgates, it’s brought people out to treat this as a big-time atmosphere.”

Also at 1 p.m. Saturday, two Pueblo high schools will be in action in state playoff semifinal games. In Class 3A, Pueblo East (10-2, No. 5 seed) will meet Rifle (12-0, No. 1) at Pueblo’s Dutch Clark Stadium. In Class 4A, Pueblo West (12-0, No. 1) will face Monarch (11-1, No. 5) at Centaurus High School in Lafayette.

Wristen said he regretted that the Pueblo East game couldn’t have been switched to Friday night to avoid a conflict and to allow fans to attend both games. But that decision by the Colorado High School Activities Association makes sense, given that East’s opponent and its fans from Rifle will be making a nearly 300-mile drive to Pueblo.

If CSU-Pueblo wins Saturday, it will play host to a Dec. 1 quarterfinal, so that also might conflict with Pueblo West and/or Pueblo East appearances in state championship games, but neither would be in Pueblo. The 3A game is set for Legacy Stadium at Cherokee Trail High School in Aurora, while the 4A game is set for Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

I’ll have a setup feature on the ThunderWolves in the Friday paper and online. (UPDATE: It’s here.) I’ve done several major stories in the ThunderWolves and the startup program in the past few years, including pieces on two of Wristen’s current assistants, former CU quarterback Bernard Jackson and ex-Broncos running back/receiver Steve Sewell. In fact, Sewell also is featured in the piece I wrote this week about what happened to the Broncos in Kansas City in what turned out to be Super Bowl seasons. It ended up running as a blog and is available here.

AIR FORCE ACADEMY – If there ever was a honeymoon period for Colorado State players under new coach Jim McElwain, it… is… over.

Right now.

“This is as low as I’ve been. Okay?” McElwain said, trying hard to keep from blowing his top in his press conference after CSU’s 42-21 loss to Air Force today.

He remained calm. But his players might not be so familiar with Calm McElwain anymore after their fourth straight loss of the season. McElwain called out his team for severely lacking the heart and passion it takes to compete on the football field.

Everyone always compares first-year coaches and their progress. How about we check up on second-year coaches? For Colorado, as you can imagine, it isn’t pretty.

Jon Embree is one of 21 coaches in their second year at their school. He is the only one who’s 0-3. Think he had a tough rebuilding project? How about Minnesota’s Jerry Kill? The Gophers were picked 11th in the Big Ten, only ahead of Indiana, and are 3-0. OK, they won at UNLV and at home against New Hampshire, an FCS school, and Western Michigan.

But doesn’t that compare to Colorado State, Sacramento State and Fresno State?

Not sure how relevant this is, considering Fresno State has a new staff under first-year head coach Tim DeRuyter, including a new special teams coach. But historically, Fresno State has been as good as any team in blocking kicks.

In fact, according to the Fresno State sports info office, the Bulldogs are tops in most blocked kicks (punts, field goals, PATs) since 2002 — and by quite a large margin.

AIR FORCE ACADEMY – Buried a bit in the NCAA Tournament implications of Colorado State’s huge win at Air Force on Saturday was the fact that with the victory the Rams won every game against in-state competition this season. They went 5-0 in games against Colorado, Northern Colorado, Denver and two against Air Force.

If you throw in Wyoming, CSU went a sparkling 6-1 against Front Range competition in 2011-12. The Rams have soared in games against Front Range opponents under coach Tim Miles, who has guided CSU to a 17-4 record in such contests since 2009-10.

Miles smiled when he was asked about sweeping state competition.

“That’s pretty cool,” he said. “I think that’s important and we’ve done really well the past three or four years in the state of Colorado. Gotta keep doing it though. You never know who you might see.”

AIR FORCE ACADEMY – The pivotal point in Colorado State’s 75-65 win at Air Force came in the game’s most chaotic moment.

With 8:32 left, in succession were these series of events: a CSU steal, an Air Force blocked shot on the layup attempt, another CSU steal, an AFA hard foul, a technical foul on Falcons guard Max Yon, a large contingent of Rams fans in Clune Arena chanting ‘CSU!’, boos from the Air Force faithful in retaliation, and from that point on one very dialed-in Wes Eikmeier.

The skinny CSU junior guard had taken the hard foul. Yon then did the whole shoulder-bump thing walking by Eikmeier and was slapped with the technical. The score at that point was 57-56, CSU.

As a result, Eikmeier had four free throws, and hit all four, then nailed a 3-pointer, and for good measure assisted on two more points – a Will Bell dunk. And just like that, a game that hung in the balance almost instantly had a seven-point spread. It was a lead CSU never lost in getting its first conference road win, a much-needed victory for a team with NCAA Tournament aspirations that needed to bolster an already good tournament resume.

Eikmeier was in the middle of it all.

In the clutch moments, when his team has needed him most this season, Eikmeier has almost always come through. Today, when it looked like the Rams were going to let another road game slip from their grasp, he was there to rescue them. He scored a game-high 23 points, 18 of them in the second half.

“We kept looking for him because he said he was shooting the ball well,” guard Dorian Green said. “He was in a good rhythm. We just had to keep looking for him and he stepped up and hit big shots.”

It has been a season of transition for Eikmeier, who immediately went from a supporting role last season to the lead actor’s seat this year. The Rams depended on him from Day 1 to provide scoring punch. Opposing defenses put him at the top of their scouting reports. Simply, life on the basketball court got harder.

“That’s tough for anybody to adjust to,” Eikmeier said. “I’m not the strongest or quickest guy out there, so sometimes that might take over a little bit. …It’s something that I’ve gotten used to. I started off the season pretty well. I was shooting it really well early in the season so I got some different looks there that helped prepare me for the Mountain West (and the) different matchups, different game schemes that the other coaches have for me. As a player you’ve got to do a good job of seeing what the defense can give you and playing off of your teammates and just taking advantage of opportunities.”

Through it all he ascended to be the second-leading scorer in the Mountain West. Colorado State coach Tim Miles was all smiles afterward, and was hopeful for the future saying Eikmeier’s game has a lot more growth in it.

“He was having this season last year before he hurt his foot,” Miles said. “I think this is the type of player Wes can be. I think he can be an all-league player, I think he can be a very good ball-in-hand guy. He’s more than just a shooter. He’s a scorer. As he rounds out his game he’ll become more of a playmaker, too, and we’ll see four, five assists out of him instead of two or three.”

Eikmeier was coy about the separation point for CSU, insisting he wasn’t fired up by the hard foul. But he smiled when he said it.

“I mean…nah, I don’t play angry,” he said. “But it was getting pretty gritty out there. The refs could tell. They had two technical fouls in the game. It was getting a little chippy at times, but we did a good job of keeping our heads and sticking to our game plan.”

In the closing seconds, the basketball ended up in Eikmeier’s hands, dribbling out the clock on a big CSU win. He soaked in the moment, and then talked about staying focused on games to come while dealing with the growing excitement around campus and town about a possible NCAA Tournament bid.

“That’s going to be the talk and the buzz around everything that comes around CSU men’s basketball for tonight until (Selection) Sunday I guess,” he said. “But as a player you can’t look that far ahead. We all know that. Especially last year, I think it kind of got to us a little bit when we had that slide at the end of the year. That was a great learning experience, especially for the guys that played a lot last year.

“So, we’re still going to take it one game at a time, just like we have all season, prepare the same way we have all season. We’re going to Vegas to win. That’s going to be our goal and whatever happens after that will take care of itself.”

Follow Chris Dempsey on Twitter @dempseypost or email him at cdempsey@denverpost.com

Air Force coach Troy Calhoun can’t talk about specific recruits prior to classes starting due to Academy rules, but his incoming class of signees will have a significant Texas flair, particularly players from the Houston area.

At least nine players from in and around Houston will call AFA home next season, including the Houston Chronicle’s All-Greater Houston Defensive Player of the Year in 6-2, 215-pound Manvel High defensive end Glynn Cheeks. Cheeks had 19 sacks and 23 tackles for loss to help to lead his team to the 4A state title game.

Meanwhile, linebacker Henderson Watkins racked up 103 tackles, 14 for loss and had three sacks for Montgomery, a playoff team in Class 4A Division I.

Here’s the list of the Houston-area players who will become AFA Falcons next season. These are in addition to 6-3, 285-pound offensive lineman Preston Bass, already identified, out of Mesquite, TX.

Saturday’s 2 p.m. game at Magness Arena has historical implications. It will be televised nationally over ESPN2 — the first national telecast of a DU home basketball game by any of ESPN’s family of networks.

Jeffrey Hall, a 5-foot-11, 180-pounder from La Place (La.) St. Charles Catholic High School, told Rivals.com Tuesday night that he may be ready to offer a commitment on Friday.

Colorado appears to be in the driver’s seat.

“It’s down to Colorado and Indiana. But I will most likely commit to Colorado,” Hall told the CU-based Rivals site BuffStampede.com.

Rated a three-star prospect by Rivals, Hall visited Colorado on Jan. 13 and then made a trip to Indiana last weekend. According to Rivals, his offer list also includes Tulane, Kansas State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe and North Texas.

Hall recorded nine interceptions, 55 tackles, four-and-a-half tackles for a loss and four forced fumbles as a senior — his first year at cornerback. St. Charles Catholic won the Louisiana Class 3A championship.

Earlier this week, Colorado received oral commitments from two four-star corners: Kenneth Crawley of H.D. Woodson High School in Washington D.C., and Yuri Wright, who was recently expelled from New Jersey prep power Don Bosco for posting offensive tweets. Wright must transfer to another high school to complete graduation requirements.

The defensive backfield, and cornerback in particular, is a critical area of need for Colorado.

AIR FORCE ACADEMY — Air Force coach Frank Serratore wasn’t in a good mood immediately after his team lost 7-1 to DU tonight, but he lightened up off-camera while talking about the holiday in the press box.

The affable bench boss said his family had DU freshman goalie Juho Olkinuora over to their Colorado Springs house before and after Christmas. Olkinuora, a freshman from Finland, was in the Springs with teammate/classmate Matt Tabrum, who grew up with Serratore’s twin sons, Tim and Tom. Tom plays hockey at Minnesota and Tim at Division III Augsburg College in Minneapolis. They all skated together during the NCAA Christmas break at the Cadet Ice Arena.

“There was some banter going on,” Serratore said with a smile.

Olkinuora was fantastic in tonight’s win, making 28 saves. He stopped 70 of 72 shots on the weekend.

If only Olkinuora was American … DU’s third-string goalie might not get a chance to play later this year, and next season, after sophomore Sam Brittain (knee) and junior Adam Murray (groin) return from injuries. Will Olkinuora transfer? Maybe, but not to Air Force. The Falcons can only sign Americans. “Jussi” will likely redshirt next season, then return as a scholarship sophomore in 2013-14.

I haven’t talked to anyone from DU about that. Just a hunch. Be make no mistake, Jussi is a pretty good goalie who would be an ideal No. 2 guy until Brittain graduates or signs a pro deal.

Congratulations to CC hockey coach Scott Owens and the Tigers’ players, administrators and media for Owens’ contract extension that was announced today by the school. Since CC is a private school, it chose to not disclose length or salary, which is bothersome, but it’s good to know Owens isn’t going anywhere. I include congratulations to players, current and future, CC employees and media in this deal because they benefit too. Owens is a class act, a pleasure to work with, and a genuine terrific hockey guy.

As I’ve written multiple times previously, covering college hockey in this state is such a pleasure, because all three programs are typically NCAA Tournament-bound winners and the coaching staffs are beauties. In another state, there simply cannot be three head coaches that are as easy to work with than Owens, DU’s George Gwozdecky and Air Force’s Frank Serratore. And the great thing is, there is deep respect between the programs. We’ll see that later this month, when CC visits AFA on Dec. 30 and the AFA hosts DU the following night.

As for the privacy thing, hum-bug. When Gwozdecky signed his 12-year extension in 2001, taking him to the end of the 2013-14 season (which we didn’t know at the time), the Pioneers staged a splashy news conference to say Gwoz signed a “long-term deal.” How long? “None of your business.” When is his current deal set to expire? “None of your business.” Did he get a raise? “None of your business.”

So why am I here? “Because this is a major announcement.” And I’m thinking, “If it was a major announcement, please indulge us in a couple important details. Otherwise you can take your ‘private’ thing and go have a ‘private’ party, because I provide the public with information, and you ain’t giving me much.”

“Sorry, Mike … but feel free to grab a slice of pizza while you write your informative story!”

OK, I’m done with that rant. Owens has led the Tigers to seven NCAA playoff berths, three WCHA regular-season titles and a .616 winning percentage in 13 years. CC has averaged 23 wins during his tenure (only DU and Michigan have produced 20 wins in each of the 10 previous seasons) and Owens has coached 15 All-Americans, including two Hobey Baker Award winners in Peter Sejna and Marty Sertich.

FORT COLLINS – Colorado State coach Steve Fairchild is holding out hope. His sophomore quarterback, Pete Thomas, is battling a knee sprain and is desperately trying to be available for Saturday’s game against Air Force.

But Thomas’ knee, injured two weeks ago against San Diego State, is writing a different script – one that has Thomas sitting this week and maybe next as well.

Asked about the likelihood of suiting up on Saturday, Thomas, who had started all of the first 21 games of his CSU career, said, “You want me to be honest? Not likely.”

“When I was saying I was hoping to play this week that was really pushing it,” Thomas said. “Usually these things take four weeks, four-to-five weeks, so that was pushing it.”

Thomas has done some throwing this week, but has not suited up for practice. Throwing, he said, has not been the problem. Running has.

“The first indication was when I tried to jog Monday,” he said. “I got about 25 yards and that was about it. I can throw fine, but dropping and everything is not up to speed.”

Given the timeframe for recovery he gave, it would seem Thomas’ season is in jeopardy of being over. Only the Wyoming game remains on CSU’s schedule after Saturday. If Thomas is not available against AFA, it means junior M.J. McPeek would be the likely backup to freshman Garrett Grayson, who will start against the Falcons, regardless of whether Thomas is available or not.

Asked if he thought things could dramatically change in the condition of his knee and allow him to play next week, Thomas said, “I’m hoping. I don’t know about this Saturday, I’m trying to be back for Wyoming, but I’ll be 100 percent. Garrett’s doing fine out there.”

Follow Chris Dempsey on Twitter @dempseypost or email him at cdempsey@denverpost.com

Terry Frei graduated from Wheat Ridge High School in the Denver area and has degrees in history and journalism from the University of Colorado-Boulder. He worked for the Rocky Mountain News while attending CU and joined the Post staff after graduation. He has also worked at the Oregonian in Portland, Ore., and The Sporting News. His seventh book, March 1939: Before the Madness, was issued in February 2014.